Toyota Hilux Review
The Toyota Hilux is frankly, an absolutely superb vehicle which has a rock-solid and bona fide reputation for reliability and dependability.
It has scooped so many prizes over the years, that it has always been, and remains to be one of the most popular pick-ups in the high-pressure market of driving under extremely tough working conditions. After all, this isn't a truck that you'd do your school-run in, unless the school were down the side of a mountain!
But what about its story?
Well, it has always been sold as a "Hilux" in most markets apart from North America, so here in the UK you'll most likely be familiar with its name - a clever portmanteau of the words "high" and "luxury". But, although high-end and luxurious, this vehicle is all about resilience as we'll read about later.
Is it popular? You bet. Cumulative global sales in 2019 reached almost 20 million units and at the end of that year, Toyota revealed plans to introduce an electric-powered Hilux by 2025.
How far does the Hilux go back?
The Hilux started production in March 1968 as the "RN10" in short-wheelbase form with a 1.5 litre engine.
It was conceived by Toyota, the largest automobile manufacturer in the world, and was developed and manufactured by Hino Motors at its Hamura Plant.
Surprisingly, it initially had a top-speed of over 80 mph which was pretty quick back in the 1960s for a heavy-duty truck. Then, 1.5-litre engine was upgraded further to a 1.6-litre engine in February 1971, increasing its power and speed.
The guys at Toyota then decided that the Hilux could get even better than it was, and the structure was radically redesigned in 1975 to be larger and with increased standard equipment.
The redesigned Hilux was introduced in August 1978, with a 4-wheel drive variant introduced in January 1979. The newer model was of similar dimensions to its predecessor, but both front and rear tracks were wider.
The Hilux through the 1980s
Ready for the 1987 model year, it was in late 1986 that the truck went through a minor interior and exterior redesign, that included a new grille, a new one-piece front bumper, an updated interior with full high door panels and faux-leather stitching on the base.
Curiously, it was deemed that the steering wheels should be changed from black to grey, red, brown, or blue depending on the interior colour, and the radio was also colour-matched to the rest of the interior.
Bringing the Hilux into the modern age
After a series of upgrades and facelifts throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the Hilux is now a high level vehicle which is known for its durability and reliability, especially sustained when experiencing extremely heavy use.
This top-notch reputation was highlighted in several episodes of the BBC motoring show Top Gear, when in series 3, episodes 5 and 6, a 1988 diesel N50 Hilux with 305,775 km (190,000 mi) on the mileage clock was subjected to considerable abuse, including being left on a beach for the incoming tide, left on top of a building as it was demolished, and being set on fire.
The Hilux suffered severe structural damage, but was amazingly still running after being repaired with only the typical tools that would be found in a truck's toolbox.
Later on in series 8, episode 3, a Hilux was chosen by motoring expert Jeremy Clarkson as his platform for creating an amphibious vehicle, and James May raced a specially modified 2007 model Hilux to the magnetic north pole from Northern Canada - making that truck the first motor vehicle to have made that journey.
It was also driven to near the summit of the Eyjafjallajokull erupting Icelandic volcano by James May, in Series 15, Episode 1.
As you can see, this is a hardcore truck, and one of the best on the road. To put it in perspective, It'll leave you with a quote by journalist Andrew Exum who noticed that it's even used in warzones because of its durability.
He famously stated that the Hilux is vehicular equivalent of the AK-47, quipping that "it's ubiquitous to insurgent warfare." This is a truck that looks down the barrels of guns, and just keeps going!
